The Power Of Repentance And Forgiveness

Psalm 51

This penitential Psalm was written by King David, following his repentance of the sin he had committed with Bathsheba.  As we read in II Samuel 11 - 12:23, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then after finding that she was pregnant, had her husband, Uriah, killed.  For at least a year following that, he had refused to acknowledge his sin in this.  It wasn’t until God sent the prophet Nathan to David, that he confessed, repented, and acknowledged the sins he had committed.  Psalm 51 was written as a response to David’s confession.

Genuine repentance involves true confession, and acknowledges one’s guilt.  It also acknowledges that the sin is against God, as seen in verse 4, even though others are also hurt.  Repentance takes full responsibility for sin, and is completely honest, with no cover-ups or passing the buck.  David showed all of these signs of true repentance, as we see when reading this psalm.

King David knew that he had no one to blame but himself, and that it was essentially a rebellion against God.  In verse 5 David showed he knew that he was born a sinner, as we all are since the Fall.  We are naturally inclined to go our own way, and please ourselves, rather than God.  This was what David had done when he willfully stepped into this sin with Bathsheba.

If we are truly saved, we won’t lose our salvation when we sin, but we can lose the joy of our salvation, as verse 12 says.  Unconfessed sin will often bring guilt, depression, and cause a break in fellowship with God.  I want to emphasis that not all depression is because of unconfessed sin, but sometimes that is an effect we might face.  When we confess that sin, though, God will restore our fellowship with Him, and return our joy and peace.

Another effect of unconfessed sin is that it often will start to affect us physically, as well as mentally.  David saw this, as he stated in verse 8, and also in Psalm 32:3-4.  It’s not specifically revealed what physical ailments David suffered from, but both here in Psalm 51, and in Psalm 32 he speaks of feeling physical ailments in his bones.  Oftentimes, the psychological effects of guilt can manifest itself as physical pain.  Confession and repentance can help eliminate the guilt that would be causing such pain.

Though God will forgive us if we genuinely confess and repent, He doesn’t erase the consequences of that sin.  David’s sin caused the death of Uriah, the death of his baby, and his family was never the same again, with heartache and grief continuing for the rest of his life, and even after his death.  We need to know, though, that when we truly confess, God will forgive.  (I John 2:1)  This is a rock-solid promise of God, and has no expiration date.  King David accepted God’s forgiveness, and he was also able to forgive himself.  

Verses 16 and 17 tell us that God is not looking for a physical sacrifice, such as an animal sacrifice on an altar.  He isn’t looking for us to become completely perfect before we can come to Him.  Rather, God is looking for willing submission to His will.  When we have repented and received His forgiveness and restoration, we should reach out to others who need this as well, as verse 13 says.

We all will fall into some sin as we go through life.  Hopefully none will be of such gravity as King David’s was, which brought about the penning of this Psalm.  It is important to know that no matter what type of sin we might find ourselves, we should confess it as soon as we can, to mitigate the earthly consequences of this sin. However, regardless of when we do confess, God will always forgive us.